2011 AGG Holiday Newsletter

The Association of Godby Graduates is eight years old!

We exist to foster, recognize and reward outstanding lifetime service and academic excellence, and we raise money for scholarships for outstanding graduating Godby High School seniors. More history is included here. 

This year, the AGG dispersed a total of $2,250, our largest single-year contribution to date, to William Mueller, LaCrai Mitchell, Haley Garner, Marcus Herring, Olivia Origa, Craig Lightfoot, Sharzay Thomas, Alexis Hale, Cameron Thompson, Jordan Blackwood, Lavontae Brown, Shawndora Jones, Diego Bravo and Alexis Hayes.

We have over 900 members in our AGG Facebook group, and this year set up a single web page with links to all the major Godby social networking groups.  

On April 1 at the Godby Media Center, we held our sixth annual AGG Hall of Fame induction banquet, and biggest alumni event of the year. Our honorees were Mr. Paul Blackburn (1970), Mr. Allen Nobles (1971), Mr. David Jones (1972), Ms. Janet (Bruce) Hinkle (1974), Mr. Mark Kaplan (1985) and PFC Anthony Warren Simmons (2003), Posthumous.

The Springtime Tallahassee Parade was the day after the Hall of Fame banquet, and as we have been welcome to do, alumni and families walked in the parade immediately behind Godby's band. My grandsons Dylan and Gabriel walked with me, and I saw David Jones at the parade.

Absent from the parade this year was Godby's "number one cheerleader" and beloved Principal Jean Ferguson, who stepped down because of her health, but remains active with Godby. Gillian Gregory is Godby's new principal, and Roger and I met her at the Homecoming game. Roger and I were on hand to congratulate Alexis, Godby's 2011 Homecoming Queen.

By the end of the year, I am required to send Principal Gregory a letter of evaluation for AGG Director Manny Joanos, who is responsible for the creation of the AGG, and handles planning and food preparation for the Hall of Fame banquet. I am anticipating a significantly positive review, and this will be the second time that I have had the pleasure of performing this task as President of the AGG.

The AGG grieves with the families of Jimmy Everett (1972), John Dennis Cogdill (1981), and with the families of all those we have lost this year and previously. We said goodbye to Mrs. Darlene Sale in April. A special Godby Cougar Angels Alumni group was set up this year by Michele Alonso (1978) to honor and remember all our deceased alumni.

Early this year, we elected Roger Day (1980) to be the AGG's vice-president in 2012 and made the announcement at the spring Hall of Fame induction banquet. In 2013, he will procedurally become President of the AGG. Godby's yearbook photographer, "Lovebird", and perennial Cougar fan has never stopped taking photos of Godby students, alumni and their families, and I have seen him at every major alumni event for the past few years. He publishes photos of Tallahassee high school athletes here. I am confident Roger's enthusiasm will serve us well.

Godby is still a fairly young school and we will graduate just our forty-third class in 2012. Most of us are still around. We have three or four well-publicized reunions a year and a few more informal ones thanks to other gatherings and events like Homecoming. The class of 1991 had its twentieth reunion the weekend of July 8. The class of 1981 held its thirtieth reunion the following weekend, and will be making a contribution to the scholarship fund at the spring Hall of Fame banquet. 

A general Godby alumni cruise to the Bahamas was organized and undertaken in September and a portion of each fare was donated to the AGG's scholarship fund, thanks to Teresa Deffenbaugh Featherstone (1978) and Cruises by SEA. Another cruise departs from Jacksonville Florida on Carnival's Fascination on Saturday January 7, 2012. It was on this ship in September 2010 that I decided what I was going to do for Halloween this year.

The nomination period for the 2012 AGG Hall of Fame has been extended to December 17. Criteria and submission form are here. The selection committee will meet after the New Year holiday and a spring banquet date will be selected, which is usually announced before the end of January. Nominations that are not selected for 2012 induction will remain active on file for one more induction period.

The AGG Hall of Fame induction banquet is our largest fundraiser event of the year. All proceeds benefit the AGG Scholarship Fund. Tickets are available at the door. Godby's National Honor Society students serve dinner. We have a good crowd from all years. It's a reunion. We encourage Hall of Fame members and all alumni to come to the party and serve in any way they can. Arrive early and help set up, stick around late and help clean up. Bring money.

The AGG accepts donations of $5 or more at any time, but we especially ask for contributions around this time of year because by the spring Hall of Fame banquet, our scholarship recipients are already quite close to Graduation. Checks and money orders are to be made payable to Godby High School with AGG in the memo line. Send to: Association of Godby Graduates, c/o Godby High School, 1717 West Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32303. 

The AGG gratefully acknowledges contributions of $250 or more in perpetuity at our website.

May you all enjoy the happiest of year-end holiday celebrations and a safe, prosperous new year.

Go Cougars!